AUSTIN, Texas — Around 200 policymakers, doctors, patients, and other advocates from around the country will be at Texas A&M University this week for the Texas Cannabis Policy Conference.
It comes days after the release of a poll by the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project showing 68% of Texans support eliminating jail time for marijuana possession.
Currently, Texas allows low-THC cannabis to be prescribed to patients with certain medical conditions, including cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autism.
Terrance Baugh is Community Relations Manager for Goodblend, one of the dispensaries licensed by the state through its Compassionate Use Program.
“It’s a wide range of folks,” said Baugh, of their patients. “[The relief from the products] really kind of expands beyond them to their family structure as well too because everybody’s seeing a difference in their behaviors.”
Baugh is heading to College Station for the conference.
“A&M itself is doing cannabis research,” said Heather Fazio, Board Member for Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, which is hosting the three-day event. “We’re going to be featuring some of those student researchers and the faculty doing that on campus.”
Fazio says advocates have three main goals for the upcoming Texas legislative session: statewide decriminalization of marijuana possession, expansion of the state’s limited medical marijuana program to include chronic pain, and tighter regulation of hemp laws.
“Things like age restrictions, packaging requirements, better testing in place,” said Fazio. “Most importantly, we need to enforce the regulations that are on the books.”
During previous sessions, many marijuana reform bills have consistently faced opposition in the Texas Senate.
However, Fazio is optimistic about the 89th Texas Legislature.
“We’re already seeing more progress in the Texas Senate than we’ve seen before,” said Fazio. “The Lieutenant Governor has tasked the State Affairs committee with regulating the hemp industry.”
Senator José Menéndez (D-San Antonio) serves on that committee. He plans to speak at the conference and listen.
“I want to learn what other states are doing that’s working well,” said Menéndez. “I want to learn what mistakes other states are doing.”
The state senator plans to re-file his bill from previous sessions allowing full medical marijuana.
“The government needs to get out of the exam room and let the doctor and the patient make the decision that’s best for them,” said Menéndez.
Baugh also hopes lawmakers change laws to allow dispensaries to store products in their stores overnight.
“We have to go to our one facility that they allow us to bring it to, and then we can have it in that one facility,” said Baugh. “Every morning, we get drivers that go out to Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and they have to put those in the store for people to pick up their products.”
The Texas Cannabis Policy Conference runs Thursday, Sept. 12 through Saturday, Sept. 14 in College Station.
State lawmakers can begin filing bills on Nov. 11 for the upcoming legislative session. The 89th legislative session starts Jan. 14, 2025.